Locals Sought for Focus Groups on Sex Work in D.C.

(Updated at 8:17 a.m. Wednesday) The organizers of a new study are looking for residents who have been affected by “the presence of sex work” in their neighborhoods.

Researchers from the University of California-Riverside and Georgetown University will hold two focus groups — one in Ward 7 and another in Ward 2 — this Sunday and Monday, May 1 and 2.

“Do you think street-based sex work in D.C. has changed in the last few years?” reads a flyer for the focus groups. “How has the presence of sex work impacted you, your family, or your property?”

The purpose of the focus groups, said researcher Sharon Oselin, is to “get a sense on how residents feel about street-based sex work, how they might be affected by it and any actions they might take because of it.”

Locals will be paid $20 to provide input that will be used as supplemental data in a study on sex work in D.C., Oselin said. Focus group sizes will be limited to roughly 15 people.